Valve product designer Greg Coomer revealed in an interview that both Half-Life and Portal could be among the games in development.
Despite Valve’s great history as video game developers, in the last decade and a half, they have not stood out like they used to. Even so, they delivered the best VR game ever in the form of Half-Life: Alyx. But it feels like they have all but abandoned the rest of their franchises.
One thing they have concentrated their time on is the Steam Deck. Recently, it was announced that this portable console will launch in Asia. But, in an interview with Famitsu about the Steam Deck, Greg Coomer has revealed that Valve is indeed working on future games, possibly on two well-known Valve sagas.
The possible arrival of new Half-Life and Portal games
The Japanese news outlet Famitsu interviewed Greg Coomer recently. Valve’s renowned product designer talked about all of Valve’s plans for the Steam Deck in Asia. However, the interview’s focus was on a big question: is Valve developing new video games?
This question is repeated in every interview, speech, conference, or question asked to Valve’s management. Before the success of Steam, the company was known as one of the best developers in the industry. Therefore, gamers want to know if one day we will see new games from the developer or the return of Valve’s great franchises.
Greg Coomer, in a part of the interview, was asked if, after the success of Steam Deck, they would stop making games. Coomer replied that “Valve has a lot of games in development. We will continue to release games. Game development is very important to Valve. I don’t know the exact numbers, but the percentage of employees involved in game development is high. A lot of people are involved.”
Not only that, but in the same interview, he also made comments such as “we love that world and want to continue exploring the Half-Life universe… Half-Life: Alyx is a sign that Valve has more to say about that world”; and also, “But that’s not all, and Valve thinks there are a lot of Portals that should be made in the future. That world deserves further exploration. So I don’t have anything to announce right now, but I would like to make another portal someday.”
Coomer clearly leaves open the probability that we will see games from these franchises in the future.
The Steam Deck is set to launch in Asia
The root of this news was thanks to the launch of the Steam Deck in Japan. After a tour that Gabe Newell made between 2021 and 2022 in Asian countries and Oceania, Valve plans to further expand its products to these audiences. The Steam Deck, which has partially reached different continents and nations, will finally make its debut in some of the most profitable markets worldwide.
The Steam Deck is automatically compared to the Nintendo Switch, which continues to top the sales charts in countries such as Japan. And, although the Switch is still the favorite, the Steam Deck’s design seems much more attractive and ergonomic with a massive game library.
Also, with the arrival of this handheld console, it is expected that more Japanese titles will arrive on the Steam store. JRPGs, strategy games, and even MOBAs exclusive to the Asian region are expected to arrive on the Steam Deck.
Valve seems to be paving the way with its Steam Deck for the future release of games under development. The company has lost a lot of market share compared to the Epic Games Store. Therefore, it is not unreasonable that the American company chooses to bring its classic sagas back to the light to reposition itself as the top company on PC.
